In which there's some tension.
[Cowritten with ramblinmann. Set after THIS.]
Randall did go to the ER just to make sure nothing was too servere, and after a long wait they let him out. Nothing was broken, or needed stitches, he was just very sore and bruised. His eye was black and blue, the swelling in corner of his lips was going down, but it was still slightly puffy and sore. And there was random soreness throughout his body from the fight. Otherwise? He was just fine.
Even so, work was a no go that night, so he spent most of the night on the couch trying to heal. He wasn't sure if Anna was coming over that night as they hadn't talked, but he kept the lights off. Partly because it made his eye feel better and partly because he hoped if she did come by - she wouldn't be able to see what happened to him in the dark.
Anna had had a long night and she just wanted to go home and go to sleep. But she didn't want to sleep alone, so instead of heading home, she turned and made a beeline for Randall's, looking to just snuggle up and sleep the night away. When she arrived and the apartment seemed dark, she frowned, wondering if she should have called first before knocking on the door.
He had a cold, damp cloth across his face when the knock came. He got up slowly and moved for the door. He glanced out the peephole and was happy to see Anna, but a little nervous too. He wasn't the kind of person to get into physical altercations, and he felt ashamed that he hadn't been the bigger man about it. With a sigh he pulled the door open, hoping the shadows of the apartment would make her none the wiser.
"Hey," she said, looking around. "What's with the lights?"
He shrugged and stepped back to let her in. "Just relaxing."
She nodded slowly, before moving inside to see what was happening. "Is everything okay?"
"Sure." He pushed the door shut and moved his arms around her. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," she nodded, leaning back against him.
He sighed, his eye still throbbing a bit. "Want to go to bed?"
"Yes," she said with a nod. "I need to sleep."
"Me too." He moved his arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head as he led her to the bedroom.
She followed his lead, leaning into the hold and just staying as close as she could. When they got to the room, he stepped in ahead of her and started pulling his shirt over his head, not bothering to turn the lights on. She started to get undressed as well, kicking off her jeans before settling down on the bed. "Are you sure everything's okay?"
Down to his boxers, he sighed and sat down beside her, knowing he had to tell her. "Been a rough day," he said quietly. He sat closer, knowing she would probably see by then.
She looked over at him for a moment, before moving a hand to brush against the side of his face. "What happened?"
He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. "I was an idiot. I...was having lunch at Heather's parents house and...Peter showed up at their front door, wanting to take her and Frankie back."
"What?" Anna shot up slightly, and gave him a worried look. "What happened?"
"I, uh..." he looked at her a bit sheepishly. "I kinda attacked him."
She sighed heavily. "How much trouble are you in?"
"I don't know. The cops took him off and I think they're keeping him overnight and trying to get him on a plane in the morning. Unless he makes a big deal out of it...I don't know."
"Well, that's good. I don't want to have to bail you out of jail anytime soon."
"I shouldn't have fought him."
"He deserved it," Anna sighed. "I would have found it odd if you didn't clock him in the face." She paused. "Though maybe that says something about the people I hang out with."
He smirked slightly and leaned his head to her shoulder with a soft groan of pain. "Would it turn you on if I told you I clocked him in the face several times and had him pinned to the ground?"
She grinned slightly at that before nodding. "Maybe a little."
He leaned into her until they fell back on the pillow and he kept his head against her chest. "I pushed him down the steps too."
"Wow. You had a bit of a brawl, didn't you?"
"Mmhmm. I think there was a dust cloud around us. And all the neighbors were watching."
"That's quite a show you put on," she nodded. "Are you okay?"
He blinked up at her. "I'm sore." He pointed to his eye. "I think you need to kiss it and make it better." She smirked slightly, before leaning in and brushing a soft kiss to skin right above his eye. "Mmm," he sighed softly. "I think it's getting there."
"Good," she said with a nod, before settling in next to him again.
He curled up against her, his arm going around her waist tightly. "Tell me that thing," he whispered, a small smile coming to his lips. "The one you told me last week."
"That I love you?"
He grinned. "Mmhmm, that one."
She shifted slightly, leaning in closer to him and brushing a kiss to his lips. "I love you."
"Love you, too," he murmured, kissing her again. She pulled back a bit and settled in next to him, curling up closer and closing her eyes. He relaxed and hold her close, dropping a kiss to her forehead. "Do you have plans for Mother's Day?" he whispered.
She shrugged. "I have to make a long phone call, but other than that -- nope. Why?"
"I was thinking you might like to come to Virgina with me."
"Virginia?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "You want me to go home with you for Mother's Day?"
"Yeah, I do," he nodded.
Anna hesitated slightly, biting her lip. "I don't know, Randall -- "
He pulled her close and closed his eyes again. "I know they'll love you," he said. "Just think about it?"
"I just -- " she paused for a minute, before looking down at his chest, a finger trailing against his skin. " -- there's still some stuff you don't know about me."
He caught her hand and brought it up to kiss her fingers. "I don't need to know it to love you...do you think I need to know it for one night out of town?"
"It's not just one night out of town, Randall," she looked up at him with a heavy sigh. "I'm meeting your mom."
"I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for, but...there's nothing in meeting her that you need to be scared of. I swear."
"It's still your mom," she said. "On Mother's Day. That says something."
He brushed her hair back and looked down at her. "You don't have to go, gorgeous. I just want you to know that you're welcome, and I'd be happy to have you there."
"Okay," she nodded. "I'll think about it."
"Good." He relaxed again, hoping he hadn't just caused awkwardness between them. "Get some sleep."
She closed her eyes and curled up closer to him. She just -- didn't want to get his hopes up. Or her own, for that matter. If he was just going to dump her in the end when she had to tell him about her family because he thought she was insane, she didn't want them to have gone through all those -- steps. The fewer steps they'd taken in one direction, the easier it would be.
He just rubbed her back slowly, holding her close, as he drifted off to sleep. She drifted off soon after, falling into a contented sleep.
Randall did go to the ER just to make sure nothing was too servere, and after a long wait they let him out. Nothing was broken, or needed stitches, he was just very sore and bruised. His eye was black and blue, the swelling in corner of his lips was going down, but it was still slightly puffy and sore. And there was random soreness throughout his body from the fight. Otherwise? He was just fine.
Even so, work was a no go that night, so he spent most of the night on the couch trying to heal. He wasn't sure if Anna was coming over that night as they hadn't talked, but he kept the lights off. Partly because it made his eye feel better and partly because he hoped if she did come by - she wouldn't be able to see what happened to him in the dark.
Anna had had a long night and she just wanted to go home and go to sleep. But she didn't want to sleep alone, so instead of heading home, she turned and made a beeline for Randall's, looking to just snuggle up and sleep the night away. When she arrived and the apartment seemed dark, she frowned, wondering if she should have called first before knocking on the door.
He had a cold, damp cloth across his face when the knock came. He got up slowly and moved for the door. He glanced out the peephole and was happy to see Anna, but a little nervous too. He wasn't the kind of person to get into physical altercations, and he felt ashamed that he hadn't been the bigger man about it. With a sigh he pulled the door open, hoping the shadows of the apartment would make her none the wiser.
"Hey," she said, looking around. "What's with the lights?"
He shrugged and stepped back to let her in. "Just relaxing."
She nodded slowly, before moving inside to see what was happening. "Is everything okay?"
"Sure." He pushed the door shut and moved his arms around her. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," she nodded, leaning back against him.
He sighed, his eye still throbbing a bit. "Want to go to bed?"
"Yes," she said with a nod. "I need to sleep."
"Me too." He moved his arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head as he led her to the bedroom.
She followed his lead, leaning into the hold and just staying as close as she could. When they got to the room, he stepped in ahead of her and started pulling his shirt over his head, not bothering to turn the lights on. She started to get undressed as well, kicking off her jeans before settling down on the bed. "Are you sure everything's okay?"
Down to his boxers, he sighed and sat down beside her, knowing he had to tell her. "Been a rough day," he said quietly. He sat closer, knowing she would probably see by then.
She looked over at him for a moment, before moving a hand to brush against the side of his face. "What happened?"
He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. "I was an idiot. I...was having lunch at Heather's parents house and...Peter showed up at their front door, wanting to take her and Frankie back."
"What?" Anna shot up slightly, and gave him a worried look. "What happened?"
"I, uh..." he looked at her a bit sheepishly. "I kinda attacked him."
She sighed heavily. "How much trouble are you in?"
"I don't know. The cops took him off and I think they're keeping him overnight and trying to get him on a plane in the morning. Unless he makes a big deal out of it...I don't know."
"Well, that's good. I don't want to have to bail you out of jail anytime soon."
"I shouldn't have fought him."
"He deserved it," Anna sighed. "I would have found it odd if you didn't clock him in the face." She paused. "Though maybe that says something about the people I hang out with."
He smirked slightly and leaned his head to her shoulder with a soft groan of pain. "Would it turn you on if I told you I clocked him in the face several times and had him pinned to the ground?"
She grinned slightly at that before nodding. "Maybe a little."
He leaned into her until they fell back on the pillow and he kept his head against her chest. "I pushed him down the steps too."
"Wow. You had a bit of a brawl, didn't you?"
"Mmhmm. I think there was a dust cloud around us. And all the neighbors were watching."
"That's quite a show you put on," she nodded. "Are you okay?"
He blinked up at her. "I'm sore." He pointed to his eye. "I think you need to kiss it and make it better." She smirked slightly, before leaning in and brushing a soft kiss to skin right above his eye. "Mmm," he sighed softly. "I think it's getting there."
"Good," she said with a nod, before settling in next to him again.
He curled up against her, his arm going around her waist tightly. "Tell me that thing," he whispered, a small smile coming to his lips. "The one you told me last week."
"That I love you?"
He grinned. "Mmhmm, that one."
She shifted slightly, leaning in closer to him and brushing a kiss to his lips. "I love you."
"Love you, too," he murmured, kissing her again. She pulled back a bit and settled in next to him, curling up closer and closing her eyes. He relaxed and hold her close, dropping a kiss to her forehead. "Do you have plans for Mother's Day?" he whispered.
She shrugged. "I have to make a long phone call, but other than that -- nope. Why?"
"I was thinking you might like to come to Virgina with me."
"Virginia?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "You want me to go home with you for Mother's Day?"
"Yeah, I do," he nodded.
Anna hesitated slightly, biting her lip. "I don't know, Randall -- "
He pulled her close and closed his eyes again. "I know they'll love you," he said. "Just think about it?"
"I just -- " she paused for a minute, before looking down at his chest, a finger trailing against his skin. " -- there's still some stuff you don't know about me."
He caught her hand and brought it up to kiss her fingers. "I don't need to know it to love you...do you think I need to know it for one night out of town?"
"It's not just one night out of town, Randall," she looked up at him with a heavy sigh. "I'm meeting your mom."
"I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for, but...there's nothing in meeting her that you need to be scared of. I swear."
"It's still your mom," she said. "On Mother's Day. That says something."
He brushed her hair back and looked down at her. "You don't have to go, gorgeous. I just want you to know that you're welcome, and I'd be happy to have you there."
"Okay," she nodded. "I'll think about it."
"Good." He relaxed again, hoping he hadn't just caused awkwardness between them. "Get some sleep."
She closed her eyes and curled up closer to him. She just -- didn't want to get his hopes up. Or her own, for that matter. If he was just going to dump her in the end when she had to tell him about her family because he thought she was insane, she didn't want them to have gone through all those -- steps. The fewer steps they'd taken in one direction, the easier it would be.
He just rubbed her back slowly, holding her close, as he drifted off to sleep. She drifted off soon after, falling into a contented sleep.